


Unbreakable Bonds

by SunhatLlama



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Adorable Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV), Crash Landing, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Din Djarin Whump, Gen, Hurt, Hurt Din Djarin, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Major Character Injury, ManDadlorian, Protective Cara Dune, Protective Din Djarin, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27779062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunhatLlama/pseuds/SunhatLlama
Summary: Grabbing the child with one hand, he put him on his lap as he tried to make their crash less deadly than it was already going to be. "There is nothing more I can do."After his ship is attacked by bounty hunters, Din doesn't know if he will survive this time.
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Cara Dune, Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Din Djarin, Din Djarin & Cara Dune
Comments: 59
Kudos: 326





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know I haven't updated my other fic in a while, but fear not! I am still working on it, I just-you know, had the unquenchable need to write this one first. btw, this is going to be a small multi-chapter fic because I am incapable of writing oneshots.....
> 
> The Mandalorian is my new obsession.
> 
> Edit: (12-12-20) This chapter has been rewritten and reworded for ultimate awesomeness and better writing!

Din couldn't fathom how the situation had taken such a terrible turn for the worse.

Well, maybe with his recent track record, it shouldn't have been a surprise.

XXXXXX

He was attempting to cook a meal for him and the child, watching the kid play out of the corner of his eye. The Mandalorian's ship was orbiting a blue-green planet (one that they could hopefully lay low on) and he was confident that he would find a job somewhere in the system. Din was coming short on credits after his last job; his employer had ended up revealing himself as a bounty hunter—needless to say, he didn't get paid. He wished that, for once, they could settle down somewhere that wasn't crawling with bandits, bounty hunters, or imps.

 _And especially away from those thieving Jawas_ , he thought wryly.

It seemed that everywhere they went, enemies were hiding in the shadows. They would swarm in alleyways, sneak-attack Din's camp, and sometimes, if they were lucky enough to catch him on a particularly bad day, they were able to attack him head-on, surprising him enough to get a lucky shot in. Honestly, at that point, he had gotten used to the frequent attacks on him and the kid in the streets.

He had just finished making their food (a ration bar for him and a bowl of broth for the kid) when the ship jerked to the side, sending both Din and the child tumbling to the ground with a loud thud, the kid squealing with alarm at the jolt to his small body.

For some reason, Din had not quite gotten used to the frequent attacks in space.

Growling a swear word and furrowing his brows, he rushed to his feet, grabbing the child into his arms before placing him in his bed. "Don't worry, I'll handle it," he comforted the kid, scrambling up the ladder to the cockpit as the door to the compartment hissed shut.

They had taken a hit to the right side of the ship. The damage was minor, but if left unattended it could cause the ship to destabilize. Turning the ship around, whilst trying to dodge the scattered shots aiming for him, Din saw that the attacker was flying a rebel X-Wing—from what he could see, it was in terrible condition and the ship appeared outdated and faded. It was most likely stolen from the Republic years ago.

Another blaster shot hit them, rocking them to the side again. In his unprepared state and because of a sudden adrenaline rush, Din forgot to brace himself against the shockwave; he lost his balance and his head was slammed into the wall. Dazed, he reached again for the controls, his vision spinning uncontrollably. He managed to dodge another hit and retaliated back at the X-Wing, shooting one of the wings on the ship's right side. The attack did not seem to phase the bounty hunter (for that was what they surely were) and they returned fire immediately.

It was a direct hit on one of the less protected parts of the Mandalorian's ship and alarms began to chirp all around Din. "Kriffing—" he cut off, frantically trying to get the controls to do what he wanted, but it was stuck. The ship began a steep descent into the atmosphere of the planet. They were free-falling, the Razer Crest gaining speed and becoming scalding as it slid into the planet's air.

Images of the child, mangled and bloody flooded his mind, strangling his heart and filling him with a pang of deep, horrifying guilt. _I can't let him die._

As they fell closer to the ground, Din felt a tug on his pants and heard a worried coo from below him; the kid had gotten out of his compartment and was grasping his leg. Grabbing the child with one hand, he put him on his lap and tried to make their landing less deadly than it was already going to be. "There is nothing more I can do," he spoke grimly to the green kid in his lap, pulling on the controls with all of his strength.

All the kid replied with was a tightened grip and a concerned chirp as he stared into the Mandalorian's visor with his big, brown eyes, the baby's ears lowering in what Din assumed to be fear.

Din quickly pressed a button on the control panel before scrambling back to the controls, closing his eyes as fear for the baby in his arms overcame him.

He grabbed his kid and wrapped his body around him protectively just as the falling ship made contact with the ground. The tearing of metal sheared through his mind as a searing white agony drilled into his nerves. Unconsciousness claimed him instantly and dragged him deep into the abyss of nothingness.

_I'm sorry little one._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter (Conveniently posted on my birthday)! I watched three Mandalorian chapters yesterday... It was epic.
> 
> Btw this is not beta-read, so all mistakes are my own.
> 
> Edit: (12-12-20) This chapter has been rewritten and reworded for ultimate awesomeness and better writing!

Din woke up to a cloud of haze and a throbbing headache.

Realizing that he was prone on the ground, the grave situation they were in rushed back to his mind and hit him like a brick wall. A groan escaped through his clenched lips as he began to try and get up off the metal floor. Sitting up, he staggered to his feet and immediately stumbled back against the wall behind him, a blood rush flowing to his head. Din's chest heaved as raspy breaths plagued him, and he looked around the now damaged cockpit, realizing that something was missing. Fear pierced his heart when he realized that the child was not in sight.

_The child._

Lurching off the support of the wall, Din almost collapsed right back to the floor as a stab of pain threatened to overcome him. He leaned an arm on the side of the wall, catching his breath. _I need to find the kid._

Din reached a shaking arm down to the ladder, hoping that the child was okay and not lying dead somewhere. In the back of his mind, Din knew that his condition was pretty bad—he was sure that he had a concussion (whether mild or severe he had no clue) and he felt the familiar drain of blood loss taking over him. He hoped that the kid was not in the same condition. Din went down the ladder, barely keeping his cries of pain contained, and limped, holding his injured side with one hand. "Kid?" he huffed. His vision was tunneling and his thoughts were quickly becoming muddled together; it scared him. Where was the kid?

Sparks were flying around him as his damaged ship let itself be known. The landing was certainly one of the worst he had ever experienced. His ship had taken quite the beating; alarms were flaring as he continued to look around. It turned out that the cloud of haze was simultaneously in his head and in the ship, the dust making his vision even worse.

Din's side was throbbing angrily and every part of his body ached with pain. He struggled to keep his mind focused on the kid while his body was tearing itself apart. Even his lungs were straining to breathe—he could hear every intake of air scrape against his windpipe and every exhale brought him closer to collapsing to the ground in a disappointing heap. The only thing keeping him going was his deep worry for the kid and an unmistakable surge of guilt. He didn't know what he would do without the little womp rat, not to mention what would happen to the kid if Din died.

_Where is the kid?_

His ship began to spin around him, causing him to fall to one knee and lean his head in his free arm. The fall jolted his injured body and his battered rips cried in protest. With half-lidded eyes, he slowly lifted his head once again to desperately search for his kid. He stopped short when he saw a familiar brown-clothed baby waddling towards him.

That was when he fell into the realms of unconsciousness.

* * *

To say Cara was concerned when she got the distress signal would have been an understatement. Din never asked for help, and when he did, it was because the child was in grave danger.

Fear and concern pooled inside of her as dread began to overcome any other thought. "Kriff." She slammed her fist on the control panel. Turning her ship around, she flew in the direction of the beacon, hoping that she would get there in time.

"You better not be dead, Din Djarin."

XXXXXX

The planet she arrived at was closer than she had originally thought—it was in a recluse system and was void of any imps (a perfect place to resupply and get work for someone like Din). Cara entered the atmosphere as swiftly as she dared, sweeping her scanner across the surface in search of the Razer Crest's distress beacon. The terrain was filled with trees that were used to humidity (for the planet was basically a large rainforest) and with rolling hills and roaring waterfalls. She hoped that her friend had not crash-landed—the odds of surviving a crash on a planet filled with that many immovable objects were horribly low. Sweat started to bead on her forehead. Every minute she spent searching was another that Din and the kid couldn't spare.

Cara jerked her head to the side when her ship beeped the notification. She had found the Mandalorian's ship. Her face lit up with a hopeful smile before she realized what state the Razer Crest was in.

They had crashed.

Their ship landed in a valley with half of it stuck in the ground, the dirt was piled in a mound around the crash site. Luckily, they had not hit the mountain that was close (too close) by, and they seemed to have missed any large trees or rocks.

Flying closer to the surface, she found a suitable place to land and maneuvered her ship onto the ground. Cara rushed out of the cockpit, grabbing her medkit and running out the still opening doors onto the damp, green grass. Her feet pounded the ground as she sprinted towards the ship. She almost paused when she saw the extensive damage to the exterior of the ship up close. Cara squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the worst scenarios that were ruining rampant through her mind. _No, they have to be okay._

As she approached the Razer Crest, she realized that the doors were never opened. She bit her lip. _They haven't left the ship yet?_

"Din?" she yelled, pounding hard on the metal with her fists. "Din are you okay?" When no answer replied, she scowled, looking around to try and find an alternate way into the ship. She raised her blaster, preparing to shoot her way in, when the Razer Crest's doors shrieked open, rising to show the strained face of the child—dust was covering his face and clothes as he looked up to her with sad eyes. When Cara stepped inside, reaching for the kid, he whined and turned around to look at something further in the ship.

She raced into the main area, picked the kid up into her arms, and started to frantically search for Din, fearing the worst. Her eyes moved side to side as she looked for her friend, but stopped as a light shined in her face. The Beskar. Cara spun around towards the glare and found a dark shadow on the ground.

_Oh, God._

She rushed to the fallen Mandalorian's side and placed the kid down next to her. "Hey!" She tried to wake Din up, prodding his arm and gently shaking him, but he would not react. "Din!"

That was when she noticed the growing pool of blood underneath his body.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Woo Hoo! Next update!
> 
> I have sadly watched every episode of the Mandalorian and now I have to wait until Saturday or longer to watch the next episode D:
> 
> \--This is not beta read.
> 
> Edit: (12-12-20) This chapter has been rewritten and reworded to make it better in every way than what it used to be!

Cara's heart jumped when she saw the crimson liquid on the ground.

Feeling Din's neck for a pulse, she found a faint, thready heartbeat. She hooked her arms around his, her heart flourishing with hope, and pulled him up onto a nearby table, searching for the source of the bleeding. Cara nearly gasped when she found the gash in the Mandalorian's side, right underneath the protection of the Beskar. The gaping hole was profusely seeping out blood and needed to be staunched as quickly as possible. Carefully removing his armor, she maneuvered the metal to the ground out of the way, leaving the Mandalorian's helmet on.

Din looked awful. The man had lacerations and dark bruises all over his body, the worst of them on his right side—it must have been from the impact. He probably had a pretty bad concussion based on the sheer amount of injuries littering the top-right side of his body. The Mandalorian was barely breathing, his chest would only lift enough to support a very shallow breath and it was quickly becoming worse. _Broken or bruised ribs._

Cara fumbled with the medkit she had brought along, spilling its contents onto the surface of the table. All she had left was a small vial of bacta and a disappointing bundle of bandages.

_It won't be enough._

She lunged for the last of her bacta and bandages, ignoring her worry as she pressed both to the gaping hole in Din's side. The bacta should be able to heal the wound enough to stop any internal bleeding, but there was still the danger of infection, blood loss, probable concussion, and possible lung punctures. She wrapped the wound with the small number of bandages she had left, the layers barely holding together on his body.

Sighing, Cara started searching for the Mandalorian's medkit. It must have been stashed somewhere in one of the many compartments lining the side of the ship. She opened section after section, but could not find it. Cara growled with frustration. Where was his medkit?

Behind her, Din was getting worse. His breathing became even softer, Cara could barely hear it with his moderator. Her heart pounded against her chest as she continued to look for the medical supplies that he desperately needed.

_He is going to die._

No, she couldn't think like that. Din was going to be okay, just like he always was.

A soft scuffling caught her attention, and she turned her head towards the sound. The child, who was previously at Din's side, was grasping onto what she could only assume to be the Mandalorian's medkit. She rushed to the kid and grabbed the kit, smiling and quickly thanking the child before going back to Din. Hopefully, there was something in there that could be of use.

The kid took his place back at his father's side and gripped the man's left (less injured) shoulder softly, cooing as his ears lowered even more.

Cara emptied the found medkit and searched through its contents. There was a local, some bacta, and a surprisingly large amount of bandages. She grabbed the bacta with haste and put it on the Mandalorian's shoulder; it was bleeding more than the other minor injuries at that moment. As she neared finishing the wrap, Din began to move.

"...kid?" the Mandalorian whispered through his moderator, his voice weak, turning his head to the side.

"Don't worry, he's okay." She replied quickly to try and keep him calm (she had noticed his breathing increase in speed).

The kid warbled in response to the man, putting his small hand on Din's visor so that he could see it better.

"...That's,"—he paused to breathe—"good." The man groaned as he began to try to sit up.

"Whoa, hey, wait. You should not be on your feet, much less moving around." Cara pushed him back down onto the table. "That stunt of yours nearly killed you."

He coughed roughly, turning his head to the other side. "I've been through worse."

"Injuries or crashes?"

The Mandalorian didn't answer that and instead looked content to stay where he was, bracing against the unending pain he was no doubt feeling. He seemed to be studying the child next to him.

Cara, still reeling from the adrenaline rush from earlier, was quick to ask the next question. "Okay, status check, Din. I think you have a concussion, you have a gaping hole in your side, and you are covered in bruises and lacerations." She looked sternly at him. "Is there anything else that you notice hurts or feels abnormal?"

"Everything hurts, Cara," Din answered back.

"I see your sarcasm is unaffected by your concussion."

"How do you even know that I have one?"

She turned around, walking towards the other side of the room. It was her turn to be quiet. She hoped that there was another medkit hanging around somewhere in the Razer Crest. "Do you have any other medical supplies?".

"No."

Cara sighed and stepped back to his side. "Then there is not much I can do for you at the moment besides wrapping your injuries with bandages."

"I can take care of the rest," Din replied, trying again to sit up but ultimately fell back to the table with a thud. The man grunted, straining his hands against the makeshift hospital station.

"I can see that." Cara looked skeptically at the Mandalorian. "But lucky for you, I am not leaving until I am positive you are not going to drop dead the second my back is turned."

She knew that the false bravado was Din's way of staying strong for the kid and a way to try and get rid of his guilt. On multiple occasions, she saw the consequences of his guilt and compassion manifesting in kind deeds and selfless actions. Trying to stop Cara from helping him was just his way of trying to help her (except that it was doing the complete opposite).

The logic escaped her.

Din must have seen her stubbornness and decided to let her stay (not that she would have left either way), because he said no more on the topic and relaxed back down, still breathing too shallowly for comfort.

After a moment of silence, Cara went back to bandaging and cleaning the rest of his injuries, cringing slightly every time he bit back a cry of pain. "How's the pain?" she tried, wanting to give him the local to help him sleep. "I know that your side and head hurt like crazy."

He sighed. "It's fine for now."

"Are you sure you don't want it? You have been holding a conversation just fine for the past half an hour, and I think that your body needs rest.

A long pause. "What about the kid?"

"I will watch over both you and him, Din. Nothing bad will happen to you guys if I can help it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has supported this story, it means a lot to me, and I am very thankful for everyones' kudos, follows, and comments. Every one of them makes my day so much happier.
> 
> Next chapter should come out in a couple days (maybe) (don't quote me on that-but I'm going to try my best)
> 
> Anyways, school takes up a lot of my time, so I'm sorry for the short chapters (but hey, that's how the best cliffhangers happen)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my awesome readers! I have completed the next chapter of this story and have rewritten and reworded the first three chapters! Feel free to reread for better writing, but it isn't necessarily required to read this next chapter (though I highly recommend it). I hope you all are doing well. :)
> 
> School has been taking up much of my time so updates are going to be slow, but to make up for it, this chapter is a lot longer than the others.
> 
> And have you guys seen the latest episode of the series? Like omg, it was so good.....especially for super awesome character development. I'm so sad that the season is almost over T-T
> 
> Lastly, I am by no means a doctor nor a Star Wars fanatic. I will get terms, canon, and slang wrong, so if it bothers you, please let me know and I will fix my mistakes. :D

The pain reliever did wonders on Din's tensed body; the Mandalorian's body finally relaxed and he drifted to sleep almost immediately. Cara knew that he wasn't in the clear—he had lost a lot of blood—but she was more hopeful now that his critical injuries were taken care of. Once Din was asleep, she let her mind wander to things that weren't related to saving his life.

Absently, she thought about the need for moving the two into her ship (since the Razer Crest was slowly filling with smoke) but shook her head when she realized that moving Din in his condition was out of the question.

She walked over to the child, giving him a warm smile. In her haste, she had neglected to look over the kid for injuries, but he seemed just fine. How he had managed to not get injured was a miracle in itself. The child appeared content to stay by Din's side while he slept, and was curled up next to the Mandalorian's neck.

"Are you okay, kid?"

He looked up, his hands still gripping Din's clothing, but didn't say anything to her.

"Yeah, I'm worried about him too."

She stepped over to the ladder, intending on taking a look at the damaged ship, but paused, her breath catching in her throat when she saw dried blood caking the rungs.

Images of Din struggling to get out of the cockpit, bloody and limping, searching for his kid rushed to her mind. Cara froze at the bottom of the crimson covered ladder. It reminded her too much of the last time she thought Din was going to die.

She was suddenly very glad she made it in time.

Shaking her head, Cara reached for the metal bars above her, trying her best to ignore her friend's blood, and stepped with a heavy heart into the control room. The cockpit was a mess. There were exposed wires everywhere she looked and sparks were flying across her vision. She sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hand. _Well, this isn't good._

She couldn't help but notice that there was a pile of rubble on the floor behind the pilot's chair; it appeared unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but her gaze was fixed on it for some odd reason. Was this where he woke up? Lying injured, wondering what happened to him and his kid? She shook her head, turning around to go back down the ladder when she saw a glint of light shine through the wreckage.

Bending over, she brushed some of the rubble away and found a piece of metal; it was a metal ball. The object was smooth to the touch but had small ridges down each side. She twirled the ball around, wondering where it came from when she saw that it was supposed to be screwed onto something. Searching the room for its place, her eyes lit up when she noticed the top-less lever on the control panel.

If Din asked how his lever was fixed, she wouldn't say anything.

* * *

Thoughts were swarming, drilling through his unconscious mind, strangling him. He fought to heave a breath with the blanket of darkness encasing his entire body. He didn't know where he was. Something shrieked nearby and voices were echoing around him, the sharp sounds made the pounding in his head so much worse. _Where is the kid?_

The voices were only getting louder and more shrill as they continued, unnerving him, and he felt strange sensations in his torso that he couldn't quite place. Who is touching him?

There shouldn't have been anyone in the Razer Crest besides him and the kid.

His mind was going rampant, had someone kidnapped them? God, what if his kid was already dead? If they so much as lay a hand on him…

His chest ached with every breath and knives were cutting through his lungs. Din was sure that he was stabbed, for the pain in his side was unbearable. He began to thrash against his captor, trying to escape their ministrations that were probably killing him. Or maybe they thought he was already dead and were looting his still-warm corpse. His head felt hot and sticky as he tried his best to punch the intruder.

"Din!" the voice shrieked in his ear.

His eyes continued to stay closed, the heat pooling in his body, distorting the words and making him breathe harder. Darkness was looming over him and he felt panic begin to set in. _Is the kid okay?_

Din's right side suddenly spiked with searing agony. He tried to lurch away, his brain repeating the same thought over and over in his mind. _Someone is trying to kill me._ Rolling his head to the side, he attempted again to release himself from his attacker, pulling away and kicking a leg out. _Someone is trying to kill me._

The attacker put strong pressure on his left shoulder, it was not unkind but held a sense of urgency in the grip. He didn't think the person was trying to hurt him.

"Din, it's me, Cara."

_Cara?_

All the fight left his body at once, the energy seeping out of his limbs and making him weak. The agony ripping him apart was suddenly all the more real. Who had done this to him? Voices continued to filter through his brain; he caught only some of the words, but the ones he did hear comforted him enough to stop panicking. Cara knew what she was doing, and more importantly, she would take care of the kid.

With his thoughts at rest, he fell back into a restless unconsciousness.

* * *

Cara was breathing heavily into her arms. Din had woken up while she was trying to fix some of the wires in the cockpit. When she heard the shriek of the kid back in the other room, she came sprinting back to Din's side.

She flinched when she entered. The Mandalorian was thrashing against the table, heaving for air. His hands were scraping against the table and were pushing against the surface in a weakened attempt to roll off the side of his makeshift hospital bed.

"Din!" she yelled, scrambling to grab a hold of his hands, trying to calm the man down, but flinched back when she felt how hot they were. His skin was scalding.

_Fever._

_Infection._

Cara rushed to get some water, using the supply that Din saved for emergencies (luckily it was still intact), and walked as fast as she could back to the table.

Her heart nearly stopped when she found a new pool of blood underneath his writhing body. "Kriff!"

Spinning back towards the still-open medkit, she grabbed the leftover bandages and rushed back to Din. The kid was whining and holding a tight grip on the Mandalorian's arm, it just about broke her heart. "He's going to be okay," she spoke kindly, a slight waver in her voice.

If anything, the kid only looked more distressed.

Cara quickly pressed a wad of bandages to the newly-opened wound. The man must have torn the healing skin in his sleep. The white cloth turned crimson in her hands and was not staunching the bleeding. She clenched her jaw. _She didn't want to do this_.

Tearing off a new set of bandages, she pressed hard into the gaping wound on her friend's side. Din screeched, trying to scramble away from Cara, and attempted to kick her in the shins. The man was close to hyperventilating and the sweat on his face was dripping down his neck with dirt-covered streaks. Cara struggled to keep the steady pressure on his side as he continued to strain and pull against her. It was even harder to stay focused when she was causing her friend agony. She could only hope he would pass out before any more pain was caused. _God help me_.

Reaching an arm to grab his left shoulder, she gripped the limb and willed him to calm down. He was going to die from blood loss or lack of oxygen very soon if she couldn't get his bleeding and panic under control.

"Din, it's me, Cara." She nearly started crying. "I'm trying to help you, not hurt you."

The man suddenly stilled, still tense in her hands, but was unmoving none-the-less. Did he hear her?

"It's your friend, Cara."

Din fell back to the table, all the fight leaving his body. If she listened closely, she could hear his breathing slowing down and evening out. It was like all the energy left his body in one giant wave. Cara could almost say he was sleeping.

Sighing, she staunched the wound easily now that Din wasn't straining against her ministrations, and generously re-bandaged the injury. Good thing he recognized her voice, otherwise, he would have probably gone into respiratory distress.

Sitting down on the ground (she had actually collapsed, but no one needed to know that), she tried to get her breathing and mind under control. The adrenaline and worry flowing through her veins were causing her hands to shake uncontrollably. She could only stay for a second, for she still had Din's fever to deal with.

Cara searched the area of the ship she could see, looking for the kid. She had just realized that he had disappeared sometime during Din's episode and was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, kid?" she called out gently. "It's okay to come out now."

A small little head poked out from the opening to the cockpit, face still twisted in a frown, and cooed.

"C'mere kid." She beckoned the kid towards her, raising her eyebrows in a way that she hoped looked friendly.

The child waddled slowly over to her, obviously hesitant. He kept glancing up at the table where Din was lying.

"Din is going to be okay, I helped him."

Somehow, Cara thought the kid understood her words, for his face lit up and indicated that he wanted to be picked up. Sighing, she pushed herself off the ground and took a second to adjust to the sudden altitude change before reaching back down to pick up the child. She knew exactly where he wanted to go, so she placed him right next to Din's mostly uninjured side. The kid curled up in the crook of Din's too-warm neck and snuggled farther underneath his father's body. His eyes closed and he placed a hand on the man's bare skin.

Before Cara went to get more water, she took a moment to watch the pair, smiling at how much they cared for each other.

And if a part of her was proud that the Mandalorian, a normally untrusting person, was able to relax and put his complete trust in her, that would stay between the three of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank all of the people who are supporting me and this story. It means a lot, and your comments, kudos, bookmarks, and subscriptions make me want to write you guys a million chapters. You are all so nice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! This chapter took me a while to write, my apologies. I got caught up with school and finals. I hope that this longer chapter makes up for it!

_Fever is a strange thing._

The human body's immune system will cause a person's temperature to rise when sickness has invaded, effectively killing off the bacteria and removing the threat.

The only problem is that raising the temperature of the human body also creates its own threat. If a person becomes too hot, there is a high chance of organ failure or malfunction, causing death.

Cara was thinking this particular piece of knowledge over as she stood by Din's bedside. She hadn't moved him back to her ship just yet, but she was planning on doing so the next time he awakened.

Whenever that was going to be.

The Mandalorian had been restlessly sleeping ever since his episode the day before, tossing and turning, but never waking up. Sometimes, Cara heard a few words said in-between the haze of the fever, but nothing she recognized. Though the word 'ad'ika' came up frequently.

To try and quell the heat radiating off his body, she had placed a cloth soaked in water on each of his wrists, still checking every so often for his temperature—she was not going to remove his helmet without his permission. While she didn't have a medical scanner, she didn't have to be a genius to tell when he was getting into the danger zone.

But, luckily, he wasn't hitting those numbers yet.

The kid was sitting by Din's bedside, glancing every so often at Cara while he played with the Mandalorian's shirt.

She wasn't good with kids. Especially not babies.

Cara tried a smile. "When was the last time you ate, little guy?" He hadn't eaten that day and probably not the day before—maybe he was hungry. She did have some food back on her ship.

He cocked his head to the side.

As she thought about it, going back to her ship for food wasn't the best option at the moment. Sure, Din was stable and sleeping, but that could all change in the blink of an eye. "Let's see what survived the crash."

She started walking towards a random compartment, searching for where the food was stored, but the kid seemed to know exactly where it was. He jumped off the table and stepped over to a section on her right, glancing up at her.

As it turns out, Din only buys good food for the kid to eat.

She discovered this particular fact after finding a mediocre stash of ration bars and some dehydrated meat in the food cabinet—right next to the various strange meals that the kid was googling his eyes at.

She didn't even know how Din managed to purchase that large of a supply of frogs.

Grabbing a few bars for herself and for Din when he woke up, she set them off to the side. She picked up one of the kid's frogs and put it into a bowl, her face scrunching and her frown growing as she continued to stare at the dripping amphibian. The kid was practically bouncing up and down.

Cara put the bowl into the kid's hands—and he instantly swallowed the slimy creature whole.

She resisted the urge to cringe even more.

XXXXXX

They both had returned to Din's side after finishing their food, not really knowing what else to do but watch over the shaking Mandalorian's side.

Cara couldn't seem to stomach anything minus a few bites of her ration bar and a couple of sips of water.

Din had not improved in the last hour, and she was getting worried. He hadn't woken up yet. The Mandalorian was shivering, the heat radiating from his body. Nothing Cara did was making a difference in his condition anymore. All she could do was hope that he would survive and ride out the infection.

"Ad'ika…" he whispered, his voice raw.

It was the same word. He kept repeating it.

"Din, are you with us?" she grasped his hand. "You need to wake up." Cara noticed that his fever had reduced some—but not by much.

Din turned his head to the side. "Cara?"

She let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. "Hey, Din."

The kid squealed and stood next to the Mandalorian's head.

Din seemed to relax even further. "Hey, kid." He moved his head to look at the child. "Are you okay?"

He warbled and touched a hand to Din's.

Cara made a motion towards the man. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit."

She crossed her arms. "Well, that's understandable. You have an infection."

"How long have I been out?"

"About a day and a half—you were pretty out of it for a while there."

He paused, turning his head towards the child, and reached a hand up to brush his fingers against the kid's ear, the limb shaking with the effort.

"Let me get you some water." Cara nodded.

Walking towards the supply with haste, she grabbed some water and started making her way back towards the makeshift cot.

She didn't know why Din made her insides boil when he was hurt. Or why she worried every time he did anything even remotely dangerous around her. Ever since the events on Sorgon, she had felt attached to the Mandalorian—and the feeling was heightened after his near-death experience on Nevarro. She hadn't let anyone get that close to her since Alderann was destroyed.

Somehow, Din Djarin made her open up again. The man single-handedly changed the course of her life and made her rethink what she wanted to accomplish in her remaining years alive.

Cara didn't want to imagine life without Din and his kid in it. Sure, they could go off into space, bounty hunting and searching for the kid's people, but they would still be alive out there somewhere.

And that was all that mattered.

Cara poked her head back into the room, opening her mouth to speak, but stopped when she heard talking, stepping back out of sight.

"No. I don't want you to." Din stated firmly, his voice still slightly raspy. "I promise I'm okay.

A soft whining filled the room.

"No—last time you did that you almost passed out. I am not risking you overdoing it.

A pause.

"I won't cause you pain if it is to help my own."

Cara waited, hearing a prolonged silence, then proceeded to step over to the two, pretending like she didn't hear anything.

She handed Din the water then turned around. "Drink that. You're dehydrated."

After a moment of silence from Din, and a chirp from the kid, the man nudged her arm and she turned around. The helmet was back on and he was turned to her, hand gripping the cup.

Cara took the glass, discreetly looking inside of it, then breathed out a sigh; the cup was empty. His nausea must not have been too bad if he was able to drink all of it.

"Do you think you can stand with my help?" she asked.

He took a moment to think it over. "Probably, why?"

"The Razer Crest has been filling with smoke slowly since it crashed. I wanted to move you and the kid to my ship once you were able to."

"That would be a good idea."

Cara stepped over and carefully put Din's left arm over her, the man leaning up to try and help. Together, they heaved to their feet, stumbling before getting their balance back. The Mandalorian groaned and clenched his hands.

She bit the side of her cheek. "You good?"

He heaved a few breaths. "Yes."

"Then let's—" A faint tell pierced her ears, interrupting her. "Did you hear that?"

The sound was followed by a crash and the sound of blaster fire—someone was shooting the ship!

"Dank Farik!" she growled. The ship rumbled and whined as the shots damaged it further. "I'm going to put you back down, Din. It seems as though your little friends are back." She lowered him to the ground, leaning against the wall.

He grabbed her arm before she walked away. "Let me help." His voice was strained.

"No, not in your condition. You can't even stand on your own."

Gently moving Din's hand off of her arm, Cara rushed to her almost forgotten blaster and went to the opening of the ship.

_God, let there only be a few hunters._

* * *

Din's mind was racing. They were all going to die if Cara couldn't kill those hunters.

His side throbbed angrily, the pain had spiked substantially after he had stood up; maybe it wasn't such a good idea to move to the other ship. The ache in his head had lessened, but he still felt the lingering effects of his infection. He was sure that his fever had spiked again.

The kid waddled over to Din, his ears lowered and drooping. He made a small chirping sound that only made him look more distressed.

"It's going to be okay, kid," he sighed, his voice straining to be steady.

The sound of blaster fire echoed throughout the room and the yelling was only increasing in volume. He could hear Cara's gun shooting off round after round, the sound much louder in the enclosed space.

Din squeezed his eyes shut and breathed in a shaky breath. _I need to help._

He couldn't just stand by while Cara was out there—he didn't know how many bounty hunters there were, but from the number of voices he was hearing, he could tell it was at least more than six. There was no way that the Razer Crest was supplying ample protection against the unending volley of shots.

His heart nearly stopped when he heard her let out a distressed yell. "Cara?"

"I'm fine, Din!" she instantly replied back.

The kid grabbed Din's arm, looking up at him. Occasionally peering out towards the exit ramp.

Another shot rattled the ship, causing both of them to flinch.

_I have to do something._

Din pushed against the ground, one hand around his waist, and scrambled to grab a hold of the table next to him. Pain exploded in his side and a groan escaped his tense jaw as he held onto the surface for dear life. Grating his teeth, he stumbled towards his gun compartment. His rifle had to still be in there. He reached a shaking hand to open the door, pressing the button and searching inside for the gun.

The rifle was exactly where he had left it.

Din let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and nearly lunged for the weapon before his body protested at the movement. Instead, he shuffled slowly along the wall and bent down for it, almost falling over as the blood rushed to his head. _Shit, let's not do that again._

The kid cooed again, causing Din to look down at him. He was latched onto his leg.

"You need to stay here, where it is safe," he rasped through his moderator, trying to unlatch the kid from his side. "I need to help Cara."

As the child let go, Din again staggered towards the exit, looking back at the kid one last time before leaving him. Everyone would be fine, Din would make sure of it—even if it was the last thing he would do. The first thing he noticed as he stepped outside was the massive mound of dirt surrounding the Razer Crest; he nearly tripped down into the soil before catching himself. Cara was hiding behind the pile and was shooting the hunters with her blaster.

Noticing his presence, Cara turned around before glaring at him, yelling at him to get back on the ship. "Din! Your wounds—"

"Not now, Cara!" He dove farther away from her, ignoring the harsh impact on his body, and pulled out his rifle.

Blaster fire shot over his head, hitting the metal behind him. The hunters must have noticed his exit and were trying to shoot him instead of Cara. Loading his gun, Din aimed the weapon towards the treeline and looked through the scope. The heat signatures of the hunters lit up brightly. In total, there were five hunters left still standing and four dead on the ground.

He had no idea a group that big would have come after the kid.

Quickly moving his gun towards the closest bounty hunter, Din shot the rifle, the familiar sound reverberating in his ears; the blast hit the person's chest and they were incinerated instantly.

One down, four to go.

Beads of sweat ran down his face, dripping into the dirt below. This is not good. His vision clouded slightly and a strange heat was pooling in his chest—he could hear himself wheezing through his moderator.

Din moved his rifle once again towards the next hunter, aiming towards the yellow and orange blob on the screen. Before he could shoot the gun, his vision blacked out and his head started throbbing. Heaving for breath, he willed himself to stay awake. His helmet dropped to the mound. A faint yell filtered through the haze and he blinked fast to try and dispel the blackness clouding his sight. He couldn't fall asleep. _Not now._

Once the pain in his head had subsided, he slowly looked back towards the trees, but his vision was too blurry to make anything out. Din gingerly prodded his side, exhaling when his glove came away glistening with crimson.

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and for a second he panicked, thinking that it was the enemy, but he relaxed when he saw that it was Cara. She was saying something—but Din couldn't figure it out. His chest tightened under his armor and he felt the blood drain from his face. He could no longer stand. Din collapsed to the ground once again, this time knowing it would be his last battle; he let out one last painful breath before surrendering to the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts on this one. Will Din survive? Who knows. Well, I do, but that's beside the point. Don't forget to kudos the story and to comment on whatever comes to mind!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I somehow wrote this in one day, I'm not sure how I managed to do it. Sorry for it being slightly shorter than the last, I thought this was a good place to stop. I hope you all are liking this as much as I am, and with only one or two more chapters to go, will Din make it? Or be lost to the void forever.....

Cara had just finished off the last hunter when she noticed that Din was standing still. A wave of panic stabbed through her gut. Was he hit? Why wasn't he moving? She rushed to his side, grabbing onto his shoulder. "Din?"

The man turned towards her, his hand outstretched as if trying to grab onto something. That was when she saw the blood staining his gloves.

She gasped— "Din where were you hit?" Cara instantly began examining his body, looking for the source of the bleeding. The man couldn't bear to lose any more of the crimson lifeblood than he already had. Cara kept one hand on his shoulder as she frantically looked. She tried to ignore the fact that Din hadn't responded to her words.

Before she could complete her examination, she felt a tremor run through his body. "Din?"

The man suddenly stopped carrying his weight—he collapsed in her arms, losing consciousness. She gasped as she instantly had to hold up her friend. _God, not again._

Cara gently maneuvered the Mandalorian to the ground, ignoring the swift beating of her heart. Fear grabbed a hold of her thoughts and she couldn't comprehend anything other than pure terror. Din was dying.

She let out a curse when she saw it—his original wound had opened up again, spewing blood onto the ground below him. His entire side was soaked with it. "Din, you can't do this to me again," she murmured, her voice trembling slightly.

Pushing herself to her feet, she rushed back inside the ship to grab the remains of the medical supplies. Thankfully, they still had plenty of bandages. Absently, she noticed that the kid was nowhere to be seen—but she couldn't spare the time to look for him. Her full focus had to be on Din.

Cara slid back down to the Mandalorian's side and took his pulse; it was thready at best. She swore when she saw he was unreactive to her ministrations. Wrapping the wound again, Cara pushed a new wad into the hole and hoped that it would be enough for the time being. She tried not to panic over the heat still pouring out from his skin, his infection still had its tendrils wrapped around his body.

A sharp retaliation hit her. They didn't have any more bacta. If Din's condition turned for the worse, she didn't have the means to save him. He would die if she didn't get help.

He needed a healer.

Cara turned once more to look at the Razer Crest, accepting that the ship was out of commission, but not wanting to leave the damaged ship alone. It meant too much to Din and the kid. Glancing back towards Din's shallow breaths, she made her decision. They would travel to the nearest town in her ship; as much as leaving the Razer Crest pulled at her heart, she couldn't bear being the one to seal Din's fate.

Rushing inside, Cara searched the main room for the child, hoping that he didn't run off somewhere. The poor kid must have been frightened by the gunshots and the fight. Still feeling the aftereffects of the battle adrenaline, she felt her body shaking more as some of the frenzied panic drained away. Though it was replaced instead by a growing pit of guilt and despair from Din's drastic turn in health. And just as he was getting better, no less.

Looking inside the cockpit, Cara nearly passed right by the bundle of brown cloth in the corner before turning back to the kid. He was curled up on himself, grasping a small blanket and holding a small metal ball. _A metal ball_ ….. The lever! The kid was holding the previously fixed lever handle like a lifeline.

"Kid?"

The poor child looked up at her, his brown orbs filling her with a sadness she couldn't understand. He cooed up at her before reaching his arms towards her. The kid wanted to be picked up. She complied, putting the child into her hands before curling him on her hip. He instantly grabbed onto her shirt.

"You and your dad are going to be fine, okay?"

He looked up at her, eyes questioning, but filled with a trust that made Cara glow with happiness. At least the kid trusts someone other than just Din.

Returning back to Din, medical supplies, important rations, and the kid in tow, she quickly checked the man's vitals and bandages. His condition was unchanged, so she put the kid down and rushed to put the supplies into her ship.

The grass below her lost its first bright and happy color and instead took on a grim, shadowed hue instead. Too much blood and tears had been split in the past two days. Even the mountain above her blocked out the suns, causing a jagged shadow to cut across the land.

Cara squeezed her eyes shut, but continued her rush to her ship. Never before had she been more worried for another person's life. Even when her family and friends had died by the Death Star, she wasn't given a _warning._ Only leftover dust and debris littering the space that she used to call home. There was no notice, no message in her inbox letting her know what had happened. They were just there one day and gone the next.

This was different.

She had some level of control over the outcome of this situation. Din's life was held in the balance, a balance that stood heavily on her shoulders. Without her, the man would certainly die, and the kid would be left to fend for himself until some other hunter came. Or, even more grim, until the natural elements came for him. Cara couldn't let herself think of an outcome where the small child died that way.

XXXXXX

Cara was preparing the ship for lift-off. She had painstakingly dragged Din and the kid into her ship, watching for his wound and also keeping a steady hand on the kid. He wouldn't let his dad go even when she needed to move him.

After getting them both secure into her small bedroom—if you could even call it that—she had stepped back into the cockpit and fired up the displays. She set the radar for lifeforms, hoping that a big enough city was nearby, but not too big of one. They had left five bodies in that field, who knows who would be coming after them next. Not to mention the heat from the stormtroopers. While the system was supposed to be remote and removed from the trooper's influence, she wouldn't put it past the Empire to be hanging around.

Din's fever was getting worse—and his breathing was becoming shallower and shallower by the hour. He wouldn't make it if she had to make a prolonged journey.

A bleep on her radar sent a notification ringing through the air. The ship found a city.

It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was close enough to what they were looking for. Cara turned the autopilot on and rushed back out to her room. Din needed some cold rags to bring down his slowly rising temperature, otherwise, she was going to lose him before they even reached the healer.

XXXXXX

"How much?"

The woman looked over Cara's outstretched hand, then sighed. "I'll take what you got. Where's the patient?"

"Back in my ship. I didn't dare move him."

The healer looked apprehensive but continued on. "Well, if his wounds are as grave as you say, he needs the attention of my full medical win'."

"Is there a way to move him without aggravating his wounds?" Cara was becoming desperate; without this healer's help he will surely be lost, _if he wasn't already._ She took a great risk going into the city by herself, leaving Din alone with the kid on the ship, and this healer was quickly becoming more of a nuisance than a help.

The woman paused, seemingly lost in thought. "I don't have an anti-gravity stretcher, but…" —she sharply turned back at Cara— "if there's no other way, we could maneuver him onto a strip of leftover sheet metal that I hav' stored in the back."

She sighed internally. "That will have to do."

* * *

A numb feeling swam through his nerves. His head felt like someone had stuffed it with cotton, filling it to the brim and muffling the world around him. It was almost serene, yet, a strange foreboding crept within the haze.

Something wasn't right.

He slowly became aware of a sensation crawling over his skin, touching, trailing along, until it stabbed a wave of pain through his side. Panic drilled through the cloud muddling his thoughts, beaming unwanted clarity into his mind.

Agony coursed down his side, bursting his efforts at staying calm and still. Movement only caused more agony. He cracked open his eyes, peering at the two forms hovering above his head. They were talking amongst themselves—but he couldn't hear any of it. _He couldn't hear._

Din realized that he was breathing too fast. His lungs pumped air through his chest, collapsing in fatigue every once in a while. He couldn't keep it up—his brain froze, his breath catching in his throat. He couldn't breathe!

Din latched onto the closet thing he could touch and gripped it _hard_. He couldn't breathe...he couldn't breathe!

_Help me!_

That was when he fell limp underneath the pulling waves of unconsciousness, releasing himself to the confines of the darkness, letting his hand fall to his side. His last thought was one of terror and grief; he had left the kid all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked this chapter! And I would still love to see what your thoughts are, and whether or not you think Din will survive...
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHhhhh I can't believe we are nearing the end of this story! It's been a wild ride. Just one more chapter to go after this one!
> 
> I would like to thank every single person who has read and enjoyed this story, your kind words make me so happy, y'all are too nice. This chapter is longer than the last one, so I hope it makes up for the cliffhanger I gave you last time.
> 
> BTW, I fixed the end of the last chapter because I realized after the fact that it ended exactly the same way as chapter 5, and that's no bueno.

"Is this him?"

"Yes, this is the Mandalorian I was talking to you about," Cara replied, her patience running short after the trip back to the ship. The woman was an infuriating middle-aged lady. She clearly wasn't known for her smarts; Cara just hoped that her skills as a healer were significantly better than her interpersonal and life skills.

The supposed healer bent over to inspect Din's most obvious injury, tutting softly to herself, before gesturing up at his face. "Is he one that can't take his helmet off?"

"Yes," Cara affirmed, her tone steady and—she hoped—threatening.

The woman put her hand in the air and shrugged. "Hey, I wasn't thinkin' about touchin' it." She stepped around the table that Cara had moved Din to, keeping a fair distance away from the retired shock trooper, and started prodding various parts on his torso and arms. "Broken ribs…wounded shoulder, it looks to be healin' nicely though…lots o' superficial wounds as wel'...

"Other than the gapin' hole in his side and the prominent infection, he seems fine," she continued with a nod towards Cara. "But obviously I can't see underneath the helmet to check for a concussion….

Cara interrupted her, "Will he survive?"

The healer retreated into her thoughts again, thinking over Cara's question, before opening her eyes and pointing a finger at her. "Depends."

Then the woman _walked_ away.

Cara tried to reel in her frustration, sighing to herself in an attempt at calming down. "What are you doing?"

The healer didn't look up at her, instead, delving into her medical pack. "I am attemptin' to heal your friend."

For some reason, Cara felt the need to protect Din, to make sure that this woman would do everything right. Her friend's life was in the healer's hands now, and that terrified Cara more than anything. "What are you giving him?"

"A small amount of bacta. Without it, I'm afraid that he wouldn't make it long after the journey back to my facility," she spoke slowly. "So unless you want your friend to die, I would move out o' the way and make yourself useful."

Cara felt like she was cut in the gut, and opened her mouth to protest the woman's words, but after a glance towards Din's shaking form, she sank with defeat. The healer was right. There was nothing more she could do now for Din besides sitting by his side.

As if noticing her sunken shoulders, the woman spoke again. "If you wanna help, renew the rags on his wrists. Can't have him die by the fever before I've even started workin'."

Snapping back to attention, Cara nodded. Yes, she could do that. She stepped over to the bucket of water, testing to see if it was cold enough, then smiled at the chilled temperature. After dipping the new rags into the liquid, she walked back over to Din, a small bounce in her heels rushing her movements. There was no time to waste.

By the time she made it back, the healer had already injected the bacta into Din's bloodstream and began to step back to her medium-sized medkit. The kit was a lot bigger than the one Cara or Din usually held, but it seemed to be filled mostly with bandages.

"I'm not gonna lie, this isn't good."

Cara looked up to meet her eye, hesitating for a moment before placing a cold rag on Din's wrist. "I know."

"There's no guarantee he survives this infection with how weak his body already is."

"I guess we will have to ensure that he has the best chance then," she added, a glint in her eyes daring the woman to disagree.

Instead, she looked surprised. "Yes, we will."

XXXXXX

They had just moved the sheet metal over to Din's makeshift bed, and now were trying to figure out how to get Din on top of it without causing him more pain. Eventually, they ended up wrapping their arms around both sides of him—one grabbed his arms, the other, his legs—and lifted him into the air. Laying him down onto the flat metal surface, the healer checked to make sure he was still stable and unconscious. She nodded, and Cara wiped the back of her hand over her forehead. Her nerves were as tight as wires, a sense of foreboding hung over every movement she made; the stress was going to cause her hair to go white.

"You ready?" the healer spoke to her.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied to the question.

Cara had already collected the child from his small temporary room and the kid was standing right behind her boot. "C'mon kid, you get to ride with Mando." She nudged him onto the sheet metal, and the kid instantly curled up under Din's limp arm, hiding from the stranger next to him.

The woman had given the child a strange look but had ignored the fact that he wasn't mentioned to her. Cara made a mental note to keep a careful watch on both of their interactions. Can't have the kid trying to strangle this person too; even though she knew it would be in the defense of his dad.

Cara herself had eventually forgiven the kid, glossing over the incident as a mistake and looking at it as the child's way to keeping his father safe, however justified it was.

If she was honest, the kid frightened her a little. Sure, he was an adorable child that needed love and attention, but as innocent as he was, the kid still had incredible powers that could kill people. She just hoped that he would learn to use it correctly and wouldn't accidentally hurt someone he loved.

Cara and the healer lifted both sides of the sheet metal and began the trek back to the woman's medical facility. Din made no sound as he was moved, but the kid let out a soft warble of surprise.

The continuous jostling of the makeshift stretcher made Cara cringe. Every uncoordinated step from either of the women holding it up made the entire sheet wobble and bend; let's just say that Din wasn't as secured as she would have liked. He tossed and turned with every hill, rock, and obstacle they crossed. Unfortunately, Cara was unable to land her ship closer to the city, so the terrain in-between was rough and hard to navigate.

By the time they reached the healer's building, both of the women were gasping for breath, bending over their knees in an attempt to regain their composure and to wipe the fatigue off their faces. The real battle had only just begun. Dragging the sheet metal through the now opened door and into the awaiting room, Cara realized that it had a legitimate hospital wing; the healer wasn't making that part up at least.

"Where do you want him?"

The healer nodded towards a secluded bed off to the side. "That one wil' do."

Taking another breath, Cara slid Din over to the bed. Her lips curled into a small smile when she saw that the beds were nice as well, sheets soft and clean, pillows full and plentiful. Maybe she had misjudged the woman, her building seemed to be in great condition. No wonder the whole village turned to her whenever they had a medical problem or injury. The healer had her stuff together.

As if on cue, the healer came stepping around the corner, her boots clicking swiftly across the floor, a medical droid in tow. Realizing what she wanted to do, Cara helped pick up the sheet metal again and they placed it onto the bed. Somehow, they managed to shift Din onto the bed and remove the sheet metal without too much trouble; the kid was the biggest obstacle, for he had an iron grip on Din's forearm.

Once they had the man situated and hooked up to the healer's medical screens, Cara took a seat in a chair placed next to the bed, grabbing ahold of Din's hand. She didn't know how the advanced medical technologies worked, and she didn't feel like getting in the healer's way, so she sat, content to provide support and companionship for her friend until he was healed.

XXXXXX

The beeping of an alarm shook her from the tendrils of sleep, shocking her into complete awareness. She looked around frantically for the origin—she gasped. Din's vitals were failing!

"Healer!" she yelled, her voice horse with emotion.

The woman came running around the corner, eyes widening when seeing her patient. "What happened?" She rushed over to his side and began to inspect his entire body.

"I don't know!"

Din was shaking, his body jerking as if seizing and his arms gripped the sheets below him with a force that could shatter bones.

"Mando!" Cara yelled, not wanting to reveal the man's name, yet wanting desperately to call it out, wanting to comfort her distressed friend. She grabbed the kid and tucked him into the chair behind her before returning to Din's side. "Stay with me, buddy."

He was awake, groaning and tossing his head back and forth, he looked to be in terrible pain. Cara felt her blood run cold when the man's breathing became even worse, the wheezing becoming barely noticeable. Din's chest wouldn't even move.

"He's bleeding internally…" the healer spoke quickly. "He's punctured a lung! Droid!" she bellowed.

That's when Din grabbed Cara's hand, squeezing her digits so hard it brought tears to her eyes. The man's chest stopped moving—he became frantic. He jerked around, trying to find a stable grounding for himself. Cara's heart stopped. Terror stabbed through her gut, shocking the air out of her lungs.

"Healer! He can't breathe!"

The rest was a blur for her, a disconnected series of events that were muffled by the roaring of her pulse in her head. The kid scrambled up to the bed, tears pricking his eyes, yet Cara did not stop him. Din was dying. The healer moved around frantically, her droid right by her side, trying to help the Mandalorian, but Cara didn't look at her.

She stared at Din's face, the helmet blocking the terror and distress she knew was occupying the hollow shield.

Then all of a sudden, the beeping stopped, and Cara felt herself deflate, her heart shriveling up. There was only one reason that the beeping would stop.

She stayed where she was, shock freezing her nerves. _No… he can't be dead..._ She forced herself to open her eyes, not wanting to see what she knew was there.

That was when she saw the kid; arm outstretched on Din's chest.

The kid.

Cara swung back around to the healer, her eyes were wide with shock and surprise, the adrenaline from the fiasco not five seconds ago still coursing through her body, her hands shaking. She let herself have hope that he survived. "Is he...alive?"

The woman turned to her. "Somehow...yes…" She was still shocked from the look of it and stood perfectly still.

Alive. Din was alive. The kid saved him.

Knocked from her frozen state by a notification, the healer stepped over to the medical monitors. "The Mandalorian's rib and lung are both intact and healthy," she stated, awe lacing her voice.

_Din's alive._

Collapsing to the bed below her, she grabbed ahold of Din's now limp hand, sobbing tears of relief, her terror seeping away in bucketfuls. _Din's alive_. She lay, content to watch the steady rise and fall of her friend's chest. Her legs and arms shook uncontrollably, so instead of moving the now unconscious kid to a separate bed, she gently wrapped him into her arms and hugged him close to her chest, letting the closeness of her two friends relax her mind.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all SO SO much for reading. Every single one of you bring a smile to my face. I hope you liked the ending....no cliffhanger! WOO HOO. Y'all should know that I could never kill off Din...too much sadness in my opinion. :D
> 
> I hope you all have a great day/night!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! Here is the next chapter! Im sorry it took so long-school was super stressful this past week and I didn't have much time to write. I hope you all enjoy this update!
> 
> THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER  
> I was just an idiot and counted my chapters wrong LOL

The steady beat of the machines roused Cara awake. She slid open her lazy eyes and found that she had fallen asleep in a half-upright position, her upper body laying on the side of Din's bed. Smiling, she lifted herself into an upright position, cracking her sore back.

A happy chirp called out from Din's side; the kid was awake and sat wrapped in the man's arm.

"Hey, kid." Cara moved into a more comfortable position, angling her body towards the little womp rat. "How are you feeling?"

The child lifted his ears in response and warbled.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better." Hearing footsteps approach, Cara turned her head towards the visitor. It was the healer.

"Good mornin'." She nodded towards her.

Cara looked up at her expectantly, wondering about Din's condition.

"Your Mandalorian friend is out o' the woods and should make a ful' recovery...In case you were wonderin'," she said. "It's amazin', I haven't ever seen anythin' like it…" The healer trailed off, crossing her arms across her chest.

Cara decided not to acknowledge the kid's powers and instead asked another question. "When do you think he will be well enough to leave?"

"Not long. Maybe a day or two."

A day. A lot could happen in a day, much less two. Cara hoped that they could stay under the radar long enough for Din to recover. The healer stood awkwardly off to the side, and looking at her gave Cara another question to ask. "Did you ever remove his mask while caring for him?"

"I did not see his face if that is what you are implyin'. My medical droid saw to his facial injuries and concussion. I had left the room." She peered over at her, taken aback.

Realizing that it would be better to be on good terms with the healer, Cara quickly held up her hands. "My apologies for my rude behavior...Mando's creed means everything to him."

Sighing, the woman replied back. "I understand. I used to know a Mandalorian like him once."

"Really?"

The woman appeared to lose herself in her memories, humming softly to herself before chuckling. "Yeah, he was a strange fella, never staying in town long, but he eventually stopped coming back...he just never returned..."

Cara didn't reply, instead looking on at the woman with empathy; she knew what it was like to have people never come back.

"What's your name?"

She snapped out of her thoughts. "Hm?"

"I'm sure that Mando would like to know the name of his savior when he wakes up."

The healer rubbed her hands on her cloth apron, shuffling from foot to foot. "It's Emile."

Cara smiled. "Hi Emile, I'm Cara."

* * *

The return to consciousness came, a certain, subtle noise worming its way through his head. It swam around, swinging like music, a warble. Laughter.

It was laughter.

Blackness consumed everything around him, weighing his body down and condemning him to the dark. He lay, calm—yet, something heavy sapped at his strength, putting pressure on his torso. Small pokes of pain prodded his tender side, making him frown; he wished they would stop. As if his brain was slowly becoming adjusted to his resting body, he became aware of other sensations. Breathing felt...strange. There was something wrong, yet, he couldn't bring himself to worry about it.

Din's memory ran short. He suddenly realized that he couldn't remember what got him into that state.

More laughter; it rang louder that time.

Before Din could wrap his head around his situation, alarm bells went off in thoughts like a flipped light switch. Pain shot through his chest, evoking a stifled groan to escape his clenched jaw. _What the kriff happened to me_.

A puff of hot breath wafted back onto his skin and he let out a sigh of relief; his helmet was still on. Whatever happened, the people around him had the decency to follow his creed. Wait—who knew about his creed?

"...in."

More sounds filtered through the pain pulsing across his brain; bouncing and crashing in the waves of his thoughts. Voices. It was a voice. He squeezed his fists together.

It came louder this time. "...Din."

Someone called his name, but he couldn't seem to open his mouth and reply. His mouth stuck like molasses, gluing his jaw together. He tried to move his tongue around, but it only found dry, crusted spit; it tasted like ash. The dusty glands clung, dried, empty of liquid.

"Din, are you awake?"

Awake? No—he didn't think he was. Right, his eyes were closed.

He lifted his eyelids, squinting when the light pierced his gaze. Sucking in a breath, he began to take in his surroundings. To his relief, Cara was sitting in a chair next to him; she was smiling. The child sat next to her, eyes closed and mouth opened slightly; he could hear his little snores squeaking, blowing through the kid's tiny lips. He must have fallen to sleep right before Din had awakened. When he saw him, he felt his own mouth quirk into a grin.

"How are you feeling?" Cara asked, her tentative look making her appear concerned. There were worry lines wrinkling her forehead, and the bags under her eyes were a telling sight as to the stress she had no doubt undergone.

Din attempted to answer the question, but the second he spoke his throat rebelled and all that came out was a creaking, cut off sound. He tried to quell his gagging reflex, clamping his jaw shut and swallowing, the lack of spit making the motion scrape slowly down his throat.

A slight tap on his arm made Din tore open his eyes, not realizing that he had closed them, and turned towards the touch. Cara was holding a cup of water with a straw sticking out.

"Water?"

Din lifted his arm, shaking with fatigue, its tendrils still wrapped tightly around his body, and grabbed the water, relishing the moisture sliding down his throat. He sighed in relief when he could finally move his tongue around without his dried up taste buds scraping against the roof of his mouth. "Thanks," he said, his voice still scratchy, but at least it lost its grating croak.

"Emile!" Cara cupped her hands to her mouth and called to someone. Din didn't recognize the name. "Mando is awake!"

A short woman came around the corner, hurriedly stepping towards them. Din noticed a shy smile creeping across her face. "Ah, you're awake." The lady crept closer to the bed and Din could see the lines creasing her face; he assumed that it was due to her age. From what he could see, she was late-middle-aged, but her hair still held its vibrant color. "How're you feelin'? Warm? Cold? Is your breathin' difficult?" she started firing questions off to him and he could barely wrap his mind around the first much less them all.

It was then he realized that breathing did in fact hurt and that he should probably tell her. "Breathing deep hurts...but the pain is manageable." Cara slid him a stare, but Din ignored it; pain is all in your head...it can be blocked out.

His friend opened her mouth to speak. "D-Mando, this is Emile." She gestured towards the woman next to her. "She is a healer."

Din nodded towards his supposed savior. "Thank you for helping me."

"I-I didn't do much...your little green friend did the most work," she stammered, turning her gaze to the ground.

The kid? He wasn't supposed to heal him! Din snapped his head towards the child, then slowly lifted his gaze to Cara, though he knew she couldn't see her questionable look. She must have understood what he was trying to ask because she began to explain.

"You were dying, Mando."

There was a moment of silence. Din felt a cold chill run down his entire body. From the tremor that rippled through Cara's voice, he knew it must have been really close. He almost died?

Cara took a deep breath. "You couldn't breathe. One of your broken ribs punctured your lung and you were drowning in your own blood…" she trailed off.

Din didn't know what to say.

"The kid saved you—healed your rib and lung. Without his help, you would have died."

Din squirmed beneath his helmet. He wasn't good at letting people care about him—much less have someone want him to stay alive.

Emile shuffled from one food to the other, an uncomfortable expression flushing to her face. "...I'm goin' to go. If you need me, just call." She walked out of sight, stepping quickly.

Din took that moment to turn his gaze back over to Cara. She was his only friend—the only one who would care enough to fly to a random spot in space and save him. He didn't give out trust easily, preferring to keep to himself, but somehow the retired shock trooper wormed her way into his small circle of allies.

"I don't regret what I did," he admitted softly. He breathed deeply—or as deeply as he could with his sore ribs—and steeled himself for the conversation he initiated.

Cara snapped her head to look at him, mouth twisting with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"I do not regret trying to save you and the kid...and I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"Do what? Bleed to death? Stop breathing?" Cara snapped. "I had everything under control—you didn't need to strain yourself anymore—I could have handled those hunters on my own!" She slammed a fist on the bed, narrowly missing his leg.

"But what if you didn't, Cara?"

She narrowed her eyes, dodging the question. "You should not trade your life away like that! What about the kid? You would leave him on his own without a father?"

"If it meant him surviving...yes."

Cara shot a dark glare at him, making a shiver run down his spine, and then she got up and left, her boots pounding against the floor.

"Where are you going?"

Unsurprisingly, she didn't answer.

Dank Farrik. Somehow he made Cara upset. Was it that hard to believe that he cared that much about her and the kid? He would gladly trade his life for theirs if needed. There was no question about it. He wouldn't let them die if he could do something about it.

Din sighed, resting his full weight on the bed below him, and looked up at the ceiling. It wasn't like he wanted to die—he actually _liked_ being alive. Plus, he still had the child's home to find. Part of him scorned the idea that he would someday have to say goodbye to the little womp rat, but the kid didn't belong with him, he belonged with the Jedi.

Speaking of the kid, Din heard a soft gurgle from his left. The child's eyelids slid open and he looked up to Din, his mouth widening in a smile when he saw that he was awake.

"Hey, kid. I'm glad you're okay."

The kid scrambled off his chair and dragged himself up onto Din's bed, waddling over to his side. Din smiled and chuckled at the kid's clumsiness. The child grabbed a hold of his hand and looked up into his eyes.

He laughed a little, wincing at the strain on his side, and brought a hand up to touch the kid's ear. "Yeah, I'm okay too, you little womp rat.

* * *

Cara stormed away, exiting the building. She stepped out into the crisp air and instantly breathed out, relishing the blue skies and warm sun beating on her face. She needed to cool down—Din didn't need the stress of an argument while he was healing.

She didn't mean to get so upset, but when he so nonchalantly stated his self-sacrificing nature...something in her snapped. He didn't get to just choose to willingly leave her life. And he certainly didn't get to sacrifice himself for her.

She decided to go for a stroll, stepping along the gravel path and into the small town square. The stones beneath her boots crunched together with every step, highlighting the peaceful nature of the residents living there. It was so quiet, peaceful...serene. She was glad that she had picked that particular town out; a bustling city would have brought too much attention to them. Without Din in tip-top shape, it would have been hard to fight off an entire platoon of troopers without some difficulty.

Cara didn't know why she cared that Din would sacrifice himself for her—if anything, that should be a testament to how much he trusts and cares about her—but all that she could think of was the faces of her friends and family back on Alderaan; their eyes crinkled with happiness, smiles wide with gleaming white teeth. She had loved them...and they were ripped from her life with no one but their murderers to know about it until some unsuspecting visitors decided to come back home for a visit. An entire planet, full of innocent people...dead, and there was nothing she could have done about it. If Din decided to sacrifice himself, there would be nothing she could do. The Mandalorian was too determined to willingly let her or the kid die, and if that meant he had to die instead, he would do it, there was no doubt in her mind.

And _that_ was what scared her so much—the fact that he was so willing, so willing to die.

Cara turned the corner to head back to the healer's place, realizing that Din might need her while she was off moping, and told herself that she would talk with him about his self-sacrificing nature and put it to a stop. She was just about head down the correct path when she saw the white gleam of armor out of the corner of her eye; she jerked her head to the side, seeing a squad of stormtroopers with their speeders standing off to the side, speaking with a townsperson, not yet noticing her.

_No._

Fear stabbed through her gut and she tried to make herself look normal and not like a fugitive, walking back to Emile's place as fast as she could without running. How did they find them so easily?

_We need to leave… now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give kudos and leave a comment if you enjoyed it!


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